First Congregational Church of Kittery Point, United Church of Christ            17 August 2008

Sermon—“A Persistent Faith”—Rev. Jeffrey M. Gallagher, Pastor

If you’re like me, over the past week or so, you’ve had your eyes glued to the television, watching the Summer Olympics in Beijing, China.  It is a treat, for sure, to be able to watch this tremendous event—where the world comes together as one—every four years.  And while it has been amazing to watch the jaw-dropping performances of Michael Phelps in the swimming pool and the precise beauty of the Chinese divers, what really gets to me are the many underdog and human interest stories that run through the games.

From Benjamin Boukpeti, competing in the single kayak slalom, who, by virtue of his bronze medal, became the first black man to medal in the event, and the first athlete from Togo to win a Summer Olympics medal, to watching 9-year-old Lin Hao, a young boy who saved two of his classmates during the earthquake that rocked China a few months ago, walking with the Chinese delegation in the opening ceremonies—it’s these type of stories that keep me coming back for more.

As such, I have been intrigued by a Visa commercial that has been running during the games, featuring a man named Derek Redmond.  Some of you may have seen the commercial, but if not, allow me to fill in the story for you.  Derek Redmond was one of Britain’s most successful athletes.  Having broken the British 400 meter record at 19, Redmond had won gold medals at the European Championships, World Championships, and Commonwealth Games—but none at the Olympics.

In 1988, Redmond was forced to withdraw from his Olympic debut just 10 minutes before the race began with an injury to his Achilles.  That left him waiting four long years for another shot.  In 1992, in Barcelona, Redmond was running in the 400-meter semi-finals.  With a lead—which would have assured him a spot in the finals—Redmond heard something pop in his hamstring with just 150 meters to go.

Clutching the back of his leg, he fell to the ground.  His first thought was, “I’m out of the Olympics—again.”  However, Redmond was determined not to end his Olympic career on such a note.  Refusing medical help, or an assist from a stretcher, Redmond starting hopping on one foot towards the finish line.

With tears running down his face, his father soon raced out of the stands—eluding security guards—to assist his son.  And together the two men crossed the finish line, in what was, arguably, the most dramatic last place finish in Olympic history.

When asked to comment about his son’s persistence and determination, Redmond’s father replied, “I’m the proudest father alive.  I’m prouder of him than I would have been if he had won the gold medal.  It took a lot of guts for him to do what he did.”[1]  It truly is a remarkable story, and one that ties in quite well to that lesson we read from Matthew a moment ago.

Now, I have to say—as I’m sure many of you are thinking—the Matthew text we read today isn’t the easiest to grapple with.  For in it we see that Jesus meets a Canaanite woman in the Gentile region of Tyre and Sidon.  This woman’s identity is significant, because, as one source points out, “In ancient Jewish eyes this Canaanite woman lived with a double liability: she was a woman and she was a Canaanite.”[2]

And yet, even though her nationality and gender would have put her on the outs with most Jews, we expect to see Jesus receive her with open arms—after all, we often say that Jesus preaches that God’s love is for everyone.  However, that’s clearly not what we see here.

Even though the woman addresses Jesus by the Jewish term “Son of David” in approaching him to heal her daughter, Jesus ignores her.  And, as one source rightly points out, “His initial silence toward the Canaanite woman is stunning.”[3]  For whether Jesus had gone to Tyre and Sidon to rest or not, we expect him to respond in compassion.  And although one author tries to argue that “we cannot doubt for a moment,”[4] that he was moved with compassion for this woman, I have to disagree.  Ignoring this woman in need was uncompassionate.

The disciples’ response is no better.  Probably getting annoyed by this woman’s badgering, they ask Jesus to simply heal this woman’s daughter so that they don’t have to deal with her anymore—hardly a compassionate act.  But Jesus doesn’t do that.  In fact, he actually goes one step further, as he says to her, “It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” 

Now, those are some pretty harsh words.  For even though commentators like to argue that Jesus was using the diminutive form of the word dogs—and therefore referring to household pets, as opposed to street dogs—that’s hardly any consolation.  “The woman has every right to take offense.”[5]  Jesus first ignored her and then he outright called her a name.  This is not the Jesus we’re used to seeing by a long shot.  It’s almost as if he needed to listen to his own teaching from a few verses earlier—for if it is what a person says that defiles them, then Jesus may need to wash out his mouth with some soap.

Which, then, might lead people to ask the question: so why is this story in the Bible anyway?  If this really happened, wouldn’t it be better to have eliminated it, so as to make Jesus look better?  Well, that may be the case, but I’m actually glad this story is in there, for a couple of reasons.

First, I believe this text reveals Jesus’ humanity—as we actually see him grow in this text.  For when the woman responds to his insult with the quip, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table,” Jesus all of the sudden wakes up.  It’s as if he snaps out of his funk as says, “well, of course, God’s love should be extended to everyone,” and he heals her daughter.

Now, I know that some people may have a hard time with this idea.  There is this sense, among some folks, that because Jesus was the Son of God, that he didn’t change—that somehow he was perfect, sinless, and therefore unchangeable.  I happen to disagree.  If Jesus was fully human, then I believe he did make mistakes and did have the capacity to “learn things and [make] changes for the better.”[6]  As such, in this text, I believe we get a chance to see Jesus doing just that: shifting his understanding of his mission from being exclusively for the Jews, to being for all people—a significant change, for sure.

The second piece here is that this woman’s faith can serve as an example to us.  She clearly is the antithesis to Peter—whom you may recall, doubted Jesus’ presence when he started to walk on water.  This woman has the faith that Peter lacks.  As one author writes, this woman’s “faith was great not only because she was persistent, but also because her persistence demonstrates her faith.”[7]  That’s right, the fact that she is persistent shows that she expects more out of her faith than Jesus was planning to give her, and she has no problem letting him know that.

All of this is to say, that this text is important because, I believe, it has something very pertinent to say to us today.  For all you need to do is look around at this world we live in.  Today we’re outside celebrating the beauty of God’s creation, but the fact of the matter is, things are not all sweet smelling flowers and lush green grasses across the world.

Just this past week we heard about a new conflict between Russia and Georgia.  There continues to be strife and unsettlement in the Middle East.  The economy is forcing many people to make some tough choices about their future, including how we’re going to make it through a long and expensive winter.  A lack of affordable health care has many people rolling the dice in hopes that nothing tragic happens to them or their families.  New natural disasters seem to hit every week, and the needs for recovery are immense.  And even our own creation is groaning, with natural resources being depleted and global warming threatening its future.

But then, you don’t need me to tell you this, you understand—you’re living this, you’re watching this on the news, and reading it in the newspapers.  In fact, I’m sure that’s what brings many of us coming back here each week.  With so much going on in the world, we do come to this place in search of something, anything that can give us some hope to go forth and make it through another week.  And you know what?  I think that’s what this text is all about: hope.

Hope, you may be saying to yourselves, how does this text about Jesus insulting a woman bring hope?  Well, for me, the hope lies in the fact that this woman believes that her faith has the power to change things in the world—and she won’t let anyone or anything get in the way of that, not even God. 

For her request of Jesus isn’t simply a question, it’s a prayer—it’s a prayer pleading with God for help.  And when she doesn’t get the help she wants, she doesn’t grovel and say, “well, that’s ok God”; no, she fires back at God and says, “sorry, try again, that’s not good enough.”  And the result of her persistence is that Jesus changed his mind. 

Which, then, leads me to believe that if we want to see some change in the world, then we need a similarly persistent faith; and that all starts with believing that our faith is important and can make a difference.  For starters, this means that we need to look at what we’re asking of God in prayer.  Are our prayers to God simply surface level thank yous and idle petitions (which we may or may not believe will come true)?  Or are they heartfelt prayers we plead to God because we desire them so fervently? 

As one author writes, we also need “to ponder whether [we as] Christians ask or expect enough of [our] faith.”[8]  In other words, do we really believe that our prayers affect God?  If not, then why do we even bother praying?  But if so, when we pray, are we willing to call God to the carpet and not let God off the hook when things aren’t right in the world?

Now, let me be clear here, just because we are persistent, doesn’t mean we’re going to get the answers we’re looking for; in fact, it may not mean we’ll get an answer at all—at least not in the way, or in as timely a fashion as we might like.  That’s not what this text is saying.  However, what this text does say is that such persistence can show: the depth of our faith, the fact that we value our relationship with God enough to disagree with God, and that we believe, so thoroughly, that our faith can, and will, make a difference in this world, that we’ll let it guide our every prayer, thought, action, and word we say.

My friends, that’s an important message to hear, which makes this an important text for us to contend with.  For today we see a woman who “has the faith to fire back at Jesus.  [She has] the kind of faith that seems to move Jesus to give a second look.”[9]  It’s a persistent faith, much in the same vein as the persistence and determination that that British runner Redmond possessed, which made the world take a second look.

And so I ask you: what if our faith was so persistent that it caused the world, and God, to take a second look?  What would happen then?  Of course, I don’t know the answer to that question, but I do see a lot of hope in the fact that, I believe, we’re just the right ones to give it a try.  Amen.

© 2008 by Rev. Jeffrey M. Gallagher, All Rights Reserved.